Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1887-01-15
OUR FIRST BATTLE.
BY JAMES FRANKLIN Fits.

what hardened to war by the Bnio e, the
toll, and the blood OF several active cam
paignS, it is interesting TO go back TO the
first occasion when he found himself un-
der fire, and review its scenes and Incl
dents.
Let the reader turn to the map Of Lou
isiana, and examine its southeast part, west
of the Mississippi. From Morgan City
known during the war rs Bra hear, up to
New Iberia, he will see n narrow neck Of
land between the Gulf of Mexico and Grand
Lake, which is trayersel by Bayou Teche
on its way to Berwick Bay. This neck, as
| call it, is even narrower than it looks to
be on the map; for impenetrab!e swamp
forests bound 1t on the Gulf side, SO that,
from bayou to swamp, there is often
width of less than two miles of territory.
At the narrowest point, which may be
marked on the map as about halfway be-
tween Brashear and Franklin, the Confed-
crate General r chard Taylor had, in the
early spring of 1868, constructed large
earthworks right across the neck, mounted
them with artillery, some of which was
quite heavy, and remained there as the
season advanced. waiting for General Banks
to come up and fight.
The battle that occurred here on the 18th
and 18th os April was the first ex-
'ourths of the Union side who were en-
gagged in it. Seventeen OF our regiments
were under fire here; how many Taylor had
is unknown; but he certainly had enough
to serve aboIt twenty-five pieces OF artillery,
which made things quite lively for us in
those two days. This fight. known as the
battle of Bisland, from the plantation on
which it occurred, occupies no conspicuous
place in the history Of the war; indeed, it
is probable that thousands of the readers
of that history never heard of it; but it was
certainly the real thing to us, in the way
of war, and was attended by incidents of
highly interesting character. | propose to
describe the field as saw it in an Off hand
way, and will make it much more interest
ing than the historian could.
We moved out from our camps on the
westerly side of Berwick Bay on the morn
ing of the 18th. 1t was Sunday; but that
circumstance has never made any pause in
war, and it did not in ours. | feel Ike con-
Tossing. in all humility, that the volunteers
often had great difficulty in keeping the
calendar straight when out on Campaign,
and that Sundays were too apt to be treated
like other days. But In Louisiana there
was one test of the day that never failed.
When the negro women exhibited them
selves in the gaudiest attire, decked in all
The colors OF the rainbow, then the Sab
bith had come-sure!
Scouts and spies and friendly negroes
had given information as to where the hos
tile works were, and one days steady march
would have brought us up to them. But
the country was by no means open, though
flat; it was thick with groves, mansions,
brick sugar houses, growing cane and other
obstacles which might conceal hostile
skirmishers; So Our advance was cautious
1t was made generally in two columns, one
in tho road along the bayou, and one
through the fields. Two gunboats kept
along with us, steaming up the Teche, and
q small force of cavalry was quarter of
mile up to the front.
Let me pause only long enough TO speak
of this wonderful country we were passing
through. The soil was a rich black allu-.
vium, deposited in past ages by the AIissi'-
sippi and its outleading bayous. Nature
fairly revels in that soil and that climate.
Vast plantations of giant sugar-cane are
here; oranges hang on the trees almost the
year rolnd; the magnolia shows its beauti !
full white flowers; roses were ab!oom every
where along the way; blackberries were
ipe-in April! Fu ther up the country
are prairie lands, where herds of beef-cat-
tie and hardy ponies abound. Daring this
campaign, army-rations, save coffee, were
almost discarGe |; SWEET potatoes and fresh
meat We're our staples. In the bayous
great allig ltors splashel and radlled. All
along the Teche were the homes of wealth
and luxury stately white mansions, the
broad plantation lands stretching in front,
their rear yerandas exchanging the
stream, which was often arched over 10y the
branches of trees meeting overhead. Ru-
! mors of war had probably reached this Area,
1inn Int fbato shnnlA
ever invade it had not been accounted to
be within the bounds of possibility. TWAS
upon these scenes that our army came i'll
those April days, and heavily was the crnel
hand of war laid upon this people. With
the best of discipline in an army, some law.
lessness and pillIse will ever prevail, and
the people who fled at cur approach in many
cases found their homes stripped and in
disorder on their return. A large proper
ton of these people were of French eX-
traction, and the sight of the tri-color tlaa
from window was common one as We
passed. But to no class of the population
did our Eruption bring such establishment
and Joy as to the negroes. When it is re-
WONDERED that in 1860 this class exceeded
the whites in number in Louisiana. Il faint
idea may be formed of thu scenes that werl
continually occurring alon our march. The
negro III Louisiana lS-Or Was-hn ilIicau,
with NJ that the name implies; uncouth,
outllndish. with all the physical character
istics of his race in a stats OF great devel-
opment. Frequently as we passed plan
tation house there would be an Eruption of
ii " CT hundred darIios out into the
road and the soldier eel Sc of the ludi-
crous would be graiiiied by outlaws, caper-
ings, kicking up of heels, ana loud cries OF
"iiress de Lawd, See do g Linkum soJers,
80. Lawd God bretf ole Aiasr Album.
"Why, honey, dev have no horns and tails,
as ole mas said" And then would come
O great chorus, ives gwine along wild 20
all" And the rear Of the column would
be closed by q dusky army of ex-slaves, re-
ioicing in theirnew found freedom, scarcely
knowing what to do with it, yet bound to
follow the liberating host as long as per-
mitted. l doubt if Just such scenes, so
perfectly unctuous OF the negro character,
were seen anywhere in the war out OF Lou
isiana.
We passed through the village of Patter-
sonvilie toward evening, and livouacked
that night in the fields beyond. Many of
the soldiers went down to the bayou for a
wash, and, considering the clouds of dust
and torrid heats through which we labored
for the next week, it was not OF all amiss.
The camps were astir in good time the
next morning, and, after coffee and hard
tack, the march was resumed. Some ex-
citing incidents occurred before our lines
fairly got in range Of the epemy's works,